Support for heat-treating container and closure therefor



H. H. HARRIS Feb. 19, 1946.

SUPPORT FOR HEAT TREATING CONTAINER AND CLOSURE THEREFOR Filed Feb. 2'7, 1943 INVENTOR' HEN/FY A. HARP/S ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 19, 1946 SUPPOfiT FOR HEAT-TREATIN G CONTAINER AND CLOSURE THEREFOR Henry H. Harris, Champaign, Ill.

Application February 27, 1943,

6 Claims.

My invention taining receptacles, and in particular to work containing receptacles adapted to be moved through a heat treating furnace. My invention will be described in respect of a work support Serial No. 477,476

relates generally to work conused in the carburizing process, but its use need not necessarily be so limited, the device being equally usable in other processes.

When conventional containers are used in heat treating furnaces, the work to be treated is placed inside the boxes and embedded in a carsuch as bone dust and the then covered over with heavy trays, and inverted, with the trays on the underside, and in this position placed on skid rails or tracks within the furnace. The trays are arranged within the furnace in end-to-end or sideby-side abutting relationship and thrust ap ied to the rearmost tray is transmitted down to the line from tray to tray to the endmost tray. In this manner, the loaded trays are passed through the cycle in step-by-step movement until pushed out at the discharge end of the furnace.

The trays function to support the work being treated as well as the weight of the carbonaceous material; the trays serve as closures for the boxes and bear the weight of the boxes within which the work is contained, and they also serve to transmit the moving thrust from one tray to the next, down the line. In use, the trays are sub- 7 jected to the rough handling incident to the procass, as well as to extremely high furnace temperatures and sudden changes in temperatures, and all too often the trays develop cracks, shrinks and warpages necessitating replacement at too frequent intervals. conventionally, both the trays and boxes have been made of thick section material, at some expense and with appreciable weight, and their failure in use involves considerable delay and attendant expense. The weight of the boxes and trays is, of course, a factor in the power needed to shift them through the furnace.

The general objective of this invention is the simplification of the apparatus used in supporting the Work being treated, while retaining all the functions of the devices conventionally in use.

The main object of my invention is the provision of a work container and combined means to close same and support same during movement through a furnace. In my device, I have eliminated the heavy tray-closure used as a support, and close the container with one element and support the container on other elements to which the closure is secured.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a Work container and support means therefor keyed thereto for movement through a furnace.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of a closure for a work container and support means for the container keyed onto the closure, the supports receiving and transmitting thev thrust of travelling movement through the furnace.

Still another object of my invention is the pro- Still another object of my invention is the provision of a closure for a work container comprising a plurality of parts hingedly secured together.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of a closure for a work container and means to support the container, the closure comprising a plurality of parts hingedly secured together and to the support means.

Further objects of my invention will appear during the course of the following description of several illustrative embodiments thereof.

In the drawing annexed hereto, and forming a part hereof,

Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly in section, of one form of device constructed according to and embodying my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical the line 22 of Fig. 1.

My device, indicated generally by reference numeral Ill, comprises a pair of trackor rail-overlying shoes or skids l2, M, of U-beam section, of substantially equal length. Shoes l2, M are cast or otherwise formed of high heat and corrosion resisting alloy material, and each has a surface l6 at the bottom thereof, and a pair of integrally formed vertically upstanding side walls I8, 20.

section along each end of the shoe are flared outwardly, as at 30, to guide the shoes onto the skid rails or tracks; legs 26, 26 straddling one of the tracks or rails Within the furnace to keep the shoes aligned thereon. The tops of walls I8, 20 are transversely notched in from end to end thereof, as at 40, 43, Within the trough of the U-beam members, I form a plurality of webs 55, spaced apart along the length thereof, and projecting upwards of walls Hi, 20. Each web is laterally apertured near the top thereof, as at 58.

The work container component of my invention, box 60, is cast or otherwise formed of high heat and corrosion resisting alloy material, and is of generally conventional rectangular shape. Box 60 is of such width as to have the side walls 62, 62 thereof, fit into notches 40, 40 in the U-beams, as at 65. End walls 66, =66 are shouldered to form interior shelves 58 extending from side to side of the box.

A closure plate IE1 is provided, consisting of a central plate 12 and a pair of wing members 14, 14, hingedly secured to the central plate. The grooves 16 in both plate 12 and wings 14 are wider than teeth 18 therein, providing spaces for the reception of the apertured tips of webs 55. The interfitting teeth 18 are all laterally cored and when these corings are aligned with web openings 58, a pin may be passed therethrough to lock closure plate '10 to the thrust beams l2, I4.

In use, box 60 is inverted, open end upwards, and charged with the work to be treated .and with the carbonaceous material. Plate Ill is then fitted into the open end of the box onto the charge. One or both of wings 14 may be swung downwardly .so .as to permit. insertion of plate 19 past shelves 68. Box walls '62 arethen fitted into notches 40, 40. Box .Bii may then be inverted and disposed .atop a pair of parallel tracks or rails within the furnace.

Upon .inversion of the box, the charge .drops downward onto the three portions of the plate, and swings wings 14 .down onto shelves 58 -(as at the lower right hand corner of Fig. 2).. This pivoting action of the wings l4, 14 into rest position atop shelves 6'8, 68 serves to close the container, and locked as plate 10 is to .the \thrust beams I2, .14, it functions to secure the box atop the beams and prevent slippage thereof during movement through the furnace.

Central portion 12 of closure plate 10 may be transversely arched, as .at 82, and provided with corrugations .84 .to strengthen same for load supporting purposes.

.A number of loaded .containers, mounted on shoes such as those hereinabove may thenbe .disposed within .the furnace in .side-by-side relationship, the thrust beams. of one butting against the beams of the adjacent unit. Thrust applied to the beams of the .endmost unit will be transmitted down the line to move same either -co-ntinuously or intermittently as desired, through the furnace. The closures take no thrust. The boxes 6!: similarly .do not receive or transmit any thrust, and they may, therefore, be formed of much lighter and thinner section alloy material than heretofore.

The .device of my invention, as a unit, is easily assembledfor use, and ju t a s y dismantled- Plates, boxes, beams, etc., may be formed of un'iformly dimensioned size, as to be interchangeable with parts ofother units. The 'thrust'beam may be formed of extra heavy material. since they must absorb and transmit the moving thrust.

The box is, in-and of itself, a rigid beam member, capable of maintaining its shape if supported at any two or more points. A heavy tray,

as in conventional practice, is not at all necesclaim and desire sary to support the box, and in my invention, the thrust beams l2 and I4 support the box, the plate and the work load thereon and receive, absorb and transmit the thrust. The thrust beams and box may be formed of uniform section, and the use of these thrust beams localizing all compression strains results in much longer alloy life. A weight saving of up to 50% is possible with my device, which is operationally more efficient than the conventional arrangements.

Having now described my invention, what I to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. .A work container for use in heat treating furnaces having rails on the floor thereof, said container having a constricted opening thereunto,

and furnace rail-overlying support means for the container and closure, the supports comprising a plurality of spaced apart elongated thrust beams, theclosure being removably secured within the container and secured to the beams and locked thereto to maintain same in the spaced apart position both the container and the closure resting directly on the thrust beams.

'2. A work container for use in a heat treating furnace having rails therewithin, the container having an opening thereinto, a pair ofin'turned lips on opposite sides of the container reducing the size of the opening, a closure for said opening, said closure comprising a plurality of plates pivotally secured together in horizontal alignment, the endmost plates being swingable out of align ment to permit insertion of the closure into the container, past the reduced opening, said endmost plates being reswingable into line to rest on the inturnedlips to close the opening.

3. A work container and closure therefor as in claim 2, and means to support same on the fun nace rails, the means comprising a plurality of elongated, rail-overlying thrust beams, means to locate and rest the container on the 'th-rust'beams, and means to secure the closure onto the thrust beams.

4. A work container and closure therefor as in claim 2, and means to support the container and closure on the furnace rails, the support means comprising a plurality of elongated, rail-overly ing thrust beams, means on the thrust beams to locate and receive the container thereon in fixed position in from the ends of the rails, and, means on the thrustbeams 'interfitting with the closure ermitting pivotal movement of the endmost plates thereof.

'5. A work container and closure therefor as in claim 2, in which the closure comprises three plates, the end plates interfitting with the center plate and having a rod passing through the interfitted portions, about which rod the end plates may pivot with respect to the middle plate.

'8. A work container and closure therefor as in claim 2, and means to support the container and closure on the furnace rails in which the closure comprises three plates, the end-plates interfitting with the center plate and having a rod passing through the interfitted portions, about which rod the end plates may pivot with respect to the middle plate and means on the supporting means to engage the rod whereby the closure is removably secured to the thrust beams.

v HENRY H. HARRIS. 

